Hmm, shooting stars. I wonder how much of those you get in the thin Martian atmosphere anyway?

_________________Say, can you feel the thunder in the air? Just like the moment ’fore it hits – then it’s everywhereWhat is this spell we’re under, do you care? The might to rise above it is now within your sphereMachinae Supremacy – Sid Icarus

Hmm, shooting stars. I wonder how much of those you get in the thin Martian atmosphere anyway?

Considering the high speed this comet is coming in at i think quite a lot from its tail tho they will be likely to be lower and more spectacular. IIRC the ones we see on earth are usually fairly high up in the atmosphere where it is quite thin anyway. It may be if there are large pieces they might land and if Curiosity is very lucky it could sample a pristine outer comet Martian meteorite. IIRC I think Spirit and Opportunity had listening gear that could detect Martian quakes if they were stationary does anybody recall if Curiosity has kit that could be used in a similar way? maybe triangulate any non catastrophic hits.

_________________Someone has to tilt at windmills.So that we know what to do when the real giants come!!!!

Took the kids up to the top of a parking garage this evening, but didn't see a Moon or a comet in the described position... Maybe tomorrow or later this week.

Anyone else see it in the top half of the world yet?

Seems to be fainter than predicted i think most pictures seen on the net have been long exposure. i could see the moon easily tonight but could still not spot comet even with good binoculars but it could have been blocked by low haze. If you try again tonight i think it should be roughly halfway down to the horizon and slightly to the right of the crescent moon using moon as pointer.

edited to add as you are at lower latitude those directions might be off a bit at a guess i think it might be a bit higher proportionally for you.

_________________Someone has to tilt at windmills.So that we know what to do when the real giants come!!!!

Thanks, SANEalex. I tried finding it with the naked eye a couple of weeks ago, but it was too close to the sun (and often too cloudy where I live). Nice to know I can pick it up with binoculars or telescope now.

I'm hoping ISON will prove to be really spectacular in December. I dabble a little in astrophotography (see my avatar), but PanSTARRS doesn't strike me as a good candidate for astropics.